Rams insider says signing this free agent LB makes 'a lot of sense'

The Los Angeles Rams filled some of their biggest defensive needs this offseason with the additions of cornerback Trent McDuffie via a trade, cornerback Jaylen Watson via free agency and the extension of safety Kam Curl. There aren't many holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, except perhaps at inside linebacker. Omar Speights and Nate Landman served Chris Shula well in the middle of the defense, but there isn't a lot of depth behind them and Speights still isn't a sure thing to perform at a high level.

Les Snead and Sean McVay are notoriously fickle with drafting linebackers, so it stands to reason they could look at the rest of the free agency pool for a piece to add to the defense. One name that stood out to The Athletic reporter Nate Atkins is ex-New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke. There is a free agent who could make a lot of sense if the price is right: Bobby Okereke.

He was a cap cut of the Giants this offseason, but he put together three strong seasons in New York with 19 tackles for loss, 5. 5 sacks, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles and an average of 128 tackles per season. I covered Okereke in Indianapolis, where he broke out as a three-down linebacker after developing as a special-teamer under Bubba Ventrone, who is now the Rams’ special teams coordinator.

At 29, Okereke could be a primary coverage linebacker and also play a little special teams, where the Rams must take a big step forward. Okereke will be 30 when the season starts, which is still a prime age for an inside linebacker. He's been highly prolific over his career with 805 combined tackles in 110 total games since being drafted in the third round in 2019.